8 - Losing and Location in the Knowledge Economy

Summary

Ths chapter looks at the economic and political dimensions of the downside of the knowledge economy. The knowledge economy both drives knowledge clusters and creaters hinterlands where those left behind by the changes in the economy dwell. Significant evidence shows the extent of grievance on the part of the left-behind, which manifests itself in nationalist populism and hostility to international law. Populists depict international law as a series of corrupt power grabs by an élite that is indifferent to the left-behind. The chapter concludes with a consideration of the possibility of Chinese hegemony substituting for international law as a way of organizing international cooperation.